Silviculture & Agroforestry

Tree species are classified silviculturally based on their light requirements:
Schleichera oleosa (Kusum, family Sapindaceae) is a well-known pronounced shade-demander/shade-bearer, especially during seedling, sapling, and pole stages. Its natural regeneration thrives under a dense canopy.
In sharp contrast, Dalbergia sissoo (Shisham) and Gmelina arborea (Gamhar) are strong light demanders that cannot tolerate shade.
Dalbergia latifolia is moderately shade-tolerant but not a typical shade demander compared to Kusum.

Terminalia elliptica (syn. Terminalia tomentosa / Terminalia alata, commonly known as Asan, Saja, or Indian laurel, family Combretaceae) is characterized by a very distinct dark grey to blackish bark that is deeply cracked into rectangular, thick fissures resembling crocodile hide, universally referred to in dendrology as 'crocodile bark'.
Another unique diagnostic feature of T. alata is that its trunk can store large quantities of potable water during dry periods.

Taxus wallichiana (family Taxaceae) is known in English as the Himalayan Yew (locally known as Thuner or Talispatra):
It is a temperate Himalayan gymnosperm renowned worldwide because its leaves and bark contain taxol (paclitaxel), a potent anticancer diterpenoid drug used in treating breast, ovarian, and lung cancers.